


Putting Down Roots

by roguefaerie (samidha)



Series: Calling Through Time [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationships, Chronic Pain, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Good Severus Snape, M/M, Season/Series 04, Severus Snape Lives, Touch-Starved, Velcro People, averted apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 00:24:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18418988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samidha/pseuds/roguefaerie
Summary: Sam and Severus start building a life for themselves, with Severus' health problems at the forefront of their minds. They are looking for every solution possible, and eventually bring Bobby Singer in on the situation. Dean finds a hunting partner in a friend of Rufus', and keeps on trucking.





	Putting Down Roots

**Author's Note:**

  * For [masaothedog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/masaothedog/gifts), [halfbakedsnape](https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfbakedsnape/gifts).



When Severus has the tattoo, they know they can move on. 

“I’ve got a place you two might like,” Dean says. “If not...we’ll figure something out. It might be, I don’t know, peaceful.”

They pile into the Impala. When Sam makes an effort to stand at the back, he meets Dean’s gaze before deliberately squeezing in, getting in beside Severus. 

Dean looks surprised for as long as he probably dares and then tightens down on the emotion in his face. They both do what they can to clear the area where Sam’s legs will be, although the least surprising part is when Severus and Sam lay down together back there.

As they drive and night falls, they are both asleep, and Dean stops the car and covers them with a light blanket, making sure he doesn’t touch Severus accidentally as he drapes it over them.

*~*~*

The cabin Dean finds has two bedrooms. It’s a bit drafty, but in May even in the woods it isn’t something they can’t deal with, and Severus is used to a drafty castle.

They set up in separate rooms. Dean does this without complaint, although as he sets up his room he asks Sam a lot of questions about where things are.

Sam shakes his head and smiles. “It’s okay, Dean. I promise if I find anything else of yours, I’ll bring it right to you.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Best he’s ever done,” Sam mouths to Severus, who smiles slightly and nods. 

Sam and Severus settle into their room and curl around each other. The bond flares as they touch, allowing for slow, sleepy cuddles and quiet as they take each other in, mentally and physically. It’s good to stay still for a while.

Dean is antsy, though, and within a few days suggests that they go on a hunt. 

“Do you, uh, think that’s a good idea?” Sam asks.

“I researched this one, and I think it’s probably a two-person job. Sam, it’s really been a while, and you wanna keep your sea legs, right?”

Sam sighs. “Right.”

“Old times?”

They’re not in old times now. Maybe they haven’t been since before Dean--

Sam’s breath catches in his throat.

He doesn’t know how to explain this to Severus.

“Severus, uh, do you think you’d be okay if Dean and I got back to work for the weekend?”

He can feel Severus studying him. Then Severus shrugs long and slow. “I found some books,” he says, “In the drawers.”

“Long as it’s something better than the Bible,” Dean says. 

“We could try to get you some stuff at the library,” Sam offers.

“No, it’s a few things. Enough to keep me busy.”

“Are you sure? Sev?”

Severus gives Sam a look that says he knows very well there is no choice here.

“Uh.Yeah. I’m sorry. Dean and I--”

Severus lets out a chuckle that’s breathy and barely there. “I know. I know a bit,” he amends.

“I gotta--um--hunting’s--”

“Sam. It’s okay.”

Sam sighs. When he kisses Severus, it’s long and slow and he doesn’t want to pull away. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

Severus nods, curling into Sam’s shoulder for a moment before he sighs and pulls back. “I’ll keep busy.”

*~*~*

The vampire nest is close to home, but timing the hunt is important, and it isn’t the right time when they find what they’re looking for. They wait out the sun.

“Creepy, doing this,” Dean says, one leg jiggling.

“Always is. Makes me feel like a--”

“We’re not like them. None of us is.”

Sam looks down and nods.

“Dean--”

“None of us. Come on, Sam.”

Sam throws himself into the hunt. There is a low level something in the back of his mind that he doesn’t understand. Anxiety or--

But the hunt goes quickly once it’s time, and they do as promised. They head back to the cabin and Dean is quiet, seeming satisfied.

When the Impala pulls up, Severus comes running out of the cabin at top speed and he meets Sam on the path. Before Sam registers anything else, he tastes salt. As Severus feels them make contact, he deflates all in one motion, going pliant and leaning into Sam. 

Their bond re-engages. The connection redoubles as they make physical contact.

Sam hears a litany of _Sorry sorry sorry sorry_ and another mental track of _I need the pain to stop. I need I need I need the pain to stop_. Sam is now holding Severus up with the weight of his own body.

Severus has disengaged.

“Severus,” Sam says, not shouting, but wanting to get his attention.

There is no significant response.

“Severus. Sev. Come on.”

The mental connection is still there, but quiet, withdrawn.

“You’re in pain?”

An almost imperceptible sigh, as the prompting of something specific unlocks some words. “Was. It’s… less. Come here?” Severus asks.

“Right here.”

“Closer. Need…”

Sam is surprised. Severus seems completely shut down, yet eventually is able to get around to what he might need right now. 

“Safe. You make me feel safe. And…”

“Do you need touch?” he asks.

“Y-yes,” Severus says, going heavy against Sam again. “But--” He pulls back. “Slow, Sam.”

“Oh, Sev. You’re in so much pain.”

“I haven’t known what to do for this while you were gone.”

 

“We don’t have to-- Let’s get inside. I should have known… something was off with our plan.”

“I’m sorry, Sam,” Severus says for the first time out loud. His voice is soft, far-away.

“No need to be sorry, Sev, come on.”

Once they’re inside, Severus lets Sam lead him to the couch to sit down on. Severus lets out a choked noise when his body makes contact with the fabric.

Sam gets his arms around Severus and helps him move more fluidly. “Lie back,” Sam says, “I’ve got you. Tell me if--”

Severus settles back, hissing a bit in pain, but leaning heavily into Sam’s touch. Sam lies beside him, making sure all the parts of him are touching Severus, placed against Severus’ skin gingerly and slowly.

“Is this allight?” Sam asks.

“Have you done this before?”

“Um. For curses. Sometimes. Is it all right, Sev?”

Severus lets out a breath. “Better. I’m sorry. Can you....uh…” He blushes.

“Oh. Pressure.” Sam whispers, “Turn a little,” and Severus does, gingerly.

Sam lets his whole body down on top of Severus. “This?”

“Yes.”

Sam nods. “I didn’t know anything like this would happen to you.”

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t know either. Sam, it’s not your fault.”

“But we just-- assumed--”

“Sam. We’ll…. Thank you, first of all. We’ll find the balance. I’m sorry.”

Dean comes inside, and Sam sees him wincing out of the corner of his eye on the way to his room. He’s had reason to know exactly what Sam needs to do this for.

“Curse?” Dean mouths, and Sam shakes his head.

Dean nods. “Talk later?” Still silent. 

Sam nods. “Later,” he mouths, and Dean goes into his room.

“I’m sorry, Sam,” Severus says, and exhaustion and misery seep out of him.

“I’m sorry too. We’ll fix this. Are you…” _Mad?_

_It’s not your fault. I’ll feel better in a moment._

“Can I...help...any other...can I…?”

_Take me away._

“Been waiting to do this,” Sam says and leans down and kisses him.

They’re both floating through the moment. Sam makes the kiss as long and slow as he can, trying not to let his remorse seep into it.

“Mm. Welcome back,” Severus says when they come up for air. 

“Thank you for letting me… We won’t do this again until we know the stakes. I’ll talk to Dean.”

“Thank you.”

 

*~*~*

Sam is at the fridge when Dean comes into the kitchen and darts his eyes outside toward the Impala. Time for the talk. 

They head out to the car, both of them using its frame for support. Two beers clink together and they begin.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Sam.”

“Well, we don’t have a plan yet. I didn’t know this would happen or anything. But I don’t want it to happen again.”

You know I know how shitty a curse is.”

“Dean, I know you wouldn’t want to put anyone else through hell. I know. I think...Severus and I have to figure this out. We might need to--just--stay. It should just be for a while. We should be able to figure something out. He needs a home base, but I think being alone so long, he hasn’t done well with it. And I don’t want to cause him suffering. Listen…”

“Sam. You don’t have to convince me. Because you’re right. I don’t wish him anything like this what he just dealt with.”

“We’ll find a way. We’ll figure it out.”

“Always do,” Dean says with a smile Sam can feel is genuine. Dean’s eyes are shining just right. “Seriously, Sam. I want you both to be alright. I want this to work out for you. The help he gave us-- It was amazing. You two have a--a connection. A something. Really important. That’s not something you throw away, I know that. I want to give you both the best fighting chance. So whatever you need to do...I’m on board.”

Sam nods. “I think we just….we stay here for a while. Try to figure out the best course of action, even if it means Sev and I are out of the hunt a while. I don’t think it’ll be forever, Dean, or even very long. But he needs somewhere he can know I’m coming home to. Without guessing games, you know?”

“He does. Yeah. All right, Sammy. Sam.”

“Yeah, Dean?”

“I’m proud of you. Both of you.”

Sam blinks and blushes. “Hey. Thanks.”

“It’s never easy on our end, and I want you to have all the happiness you can get.”

“Thanks, Dean. I mean it.”

“So do I. So. We good?”

“We’re good, Dean.”

“When I come back, I expect to see this place set up like the home you two need and deserve.”

Sam smiles. “Think you can bring me books?” he asks.

“We’ll see. Might not want to press your luck. But I’ll be back when I can.” Dean cracks a smile too. “Proud of you, Sasquatch.”

Sam laughs. “Thanks, Dean.”

Severus is sleeping fitfully when Sam comes back inside. Sam gingerly lets himself settle beside Sev, and when Severus tosses, eyes fluttering slightly, Sam says, “Hey, Sev. Severus. Got you.”

“Mm? Sam?”

The unmistakable sound of the Impala engine greets them, and it revs up and speeds away.

“Hey. We’re staying. For as long as you--we--need to.”

“We are?”

Sam laughs softly. “Dean gave me orders to settle into domestic bliss with you. I’m thinking a library in the back room so he can visit and look suitably pissed off.”

“And we can research for him on hunts.”

“Exactly. And maybe a phone bank.”

“Hunters calling in.”

Sam smiles.

“I’ve wanted a--” Severus lowers his eyes and mumbles the rest. “Place to be with you. Not just a room. Especially when I was in pain. He… left?”

“Yeah. You know Dean. Doesn’t want to take up that much room in our relationship.”

Severus smiles. “I imagine that’s new, though. Are you alright?”

“Are _you_ all right? Angel?”

“From what you tell me of them--surprised you can call me that,” Severus murmurs.

“Well. There’s the angels-are-dicks kind and the-- Nevermind. It’s. Habit.”

“I like the habit.”

Sam ducks, suddenly shy.

“Thank you for doing this for me. It’s big. Sam.”

“Mm?”

“I...think you know this but… Maybe you need the words.”

Sam blinks. He feels both their pulses speed up. “Sev?”

“Sam Winchester. I love you,” Severus says, “And I can’t wait to wake the neighbors.”

Sam laughs with tears in his eyes. “Nice, Sev. Sev. I love you too.”

“I know,” Severus says softly. “Thank you. Thank you, Sam. I’ve known. With every single thing you’ve done.”

*~*~*

The next morning they are sore and spent in a pleasant way, something that could absolutely be avoided by heeding the warning signs through their mental link. Sam moves slowly as he goes in search of caffeine in the house. He finds a brand that he knows Dean left behind before taking off in the Impala, and he smiles to himself.

He brings Severus coffee and aspirin for the headache he knows Severus has. 

Severus blinks up at him and eyes the aspirin, blinking back tears. “Sam. In the wizarding world, if you have a problem you usually just have to fix it yourself. I mean, you have magic but it’s…” Severus trails off.

“It’s all right. Whatever form your magic takes is fine. And I mean _fine_. You can let me handle the little stuff. Like the aspirin.”

“I missed aspirin.”

“My med kit is vast. Who knew I could have flirted with you over some painkillers.”

Severus grins. “You’re a hunter. I bet you _have_ done that.” 

“Yeah. Okay. I have.” Sam grins. “But the point is. Not with you. Yet.”

“They call that a bucket list, don’t they? Check it off. This aspirin is the sweetest thing you could have given me.”

“And look, there’s toast. You can’t take that on an empty stomach.”

“You’re right. I can’t. But first...come here and let me kiss you.”

*~*~*

They take time to figure out the cycle of Severus’ chronic pain. In their heads, without talking about it, they’ve both started to call it this. Both of them have a high threshold for pain, but this manifestation of it is new. So they call it what it is.

Sam keeps in touch with Dean by phone a couple of times in the first few weeks. There are werewolves in Wisconsin, and something haunting a forest in Maine. Dean settles into a rhythm, and soon he reports that he may actually be seeing someone, a boy of course, because Dean is becoming more honest with himself over time.They know they steered clear of something major when Severus was able to calm Sam’s withdrawal and stop--stop everything, and Dean might as well live too. It’s the first time he’s said things like this since losing Ash years ago, and Sam can feel him putting down his kind of roots, the ones that sprawl for miles from a single tree.

Sam puts together a room full of shelves in the back of the cabin, and it smells of fresh wood. He starts stacking books in there, first paperbacks from the nearest thrift store and then more and more bits of esoteric lore make it into the cabin. He buys the books online and gets some sent from Bobby. (None of the books are cursed, they’re pretty sure, even though they’re the ones Bobby doesn’t want in his house anymore. They don’t exactly dunk them in holy water but they’re ...pretty...sure.) Bobby and Sam put together a plan for Sam to field some of Bobby’s calls. An apocalypse has probably been averted, at least for now, and Bobby is ready to get at least another hour of sleep a night.

And as long as Sam is near Severus, if Severus is about to dissolve with pain Sam’s there to catch him--sometimes literally.

Sometimes at night, Sam wakes up and Severus is crying from the pain. Sam makes sure. “Is this physical?” he asks.

“I’m not leaving,” Severus says, answering the question Sam asked as well as the ones he doesn’t. “Just hold onto me.”

They will solve it eventually, but they take their time, drinking each other in after so long that the need has become painful for both of them. Dean does come back to the cabin just like he says he will, but it’s not very long. He accepts that his room is the library now, and that he can sleep on the couch in the home Sam and Severus have made together, just like Dean asked them to for each others’ sakes.

More news makes its way home about Dean and his boyfriend. Mostly, that Dean is still seeing the same man, and that Sam isn’t sure if he knows of a time Dean’s stuck to someone this hard before. His name is Darren, a friend Dean met through a job he did with Rufus. Dean sounds good. Really good. Like he’s floating.

“They should really make a go of it,” Severus says, “Like us.”

“Dean? I don’t know. If he’d completely settle down.”

Severus raises an eyebrow and shrugs. “Well, it’s nice when he’s here, as well. You two seem to be doing all right.”

Those are the good days. 

On the bad days, there aren’t many words from Severus at all, and it’s on one of those that Sam finally calls Bobby and explains.

“We don’t know exactly how to tame the magic,” Sam tries.

“Boy, I could have guessed that. It’s not every day you bring home a warlock.”

Sam grins. “Yeah. I guess.”

“By the way, thanks for _finally_ calling back. I’ve been meaning to tell you. Nice job, getting off the stuff and all that, that you did. You’re doing right by yourself, and Dean and Severus too.”

“Thanks, Bobby.”

“It’ll be alright, Sam. We can work this out. I actually snuck a couple of books you might need for it into your last care package from the back of the house, if that helps any…”

“Bobby…”

“Word gets around, kid. And if this guy makes you happy, then, well, he’s family.” Sam’s heart feels like it is about to burst. 

“You hear that, Sev? Bobby says you’re family now. That’s it. He means it.” Severus raises an eyebrow and opens his mouth with a look like he’s about to-- well-- Sam’s not sure, but. “Family doesn’t end with blood, Severus,” he says, and Sev closes his mouth, blushes, and smiles.

“Oh. I see.”

“He take that news okay?” Bobby asks, and Sam can hear the smile in his voice. 

“Yeah, Bobby, he did. He’s good right now.”

“You tell him I’ll put in the time on this. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

“Thanks, Bobby.”

“You’re welcome, kid. By the way. Tell your brother to call me back, too. I hear there’s someone else I gotta give the family talk to.”

Sam is smiling as he hangs up the phone.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter is in beta (4/13/19)


End file.
